Device and method for recording parameters of a golf game

ABSTRACT

A hand held device ( 1 ) for recording scores of a golf game played by one or more players comprises a VDU ( 3 ) which selectively displays reference fairways ( 30 ) graphically which permits a player to enter the position of the location of a ball after each shot on the VDU ( 3 ) by positioning a cursor at a position ( 41 ) on the green ( 31 ) or the reference fairway ( 30 ) displayed on the VDU ( 3 ), which substantially corresponds to the position of the ball on the fairway or green being played. The position of the ball after each shot until the ball is holed is entered on the screen through the cursor. A microprocessor ( 2 ) reads the position of the cursor and stores a graphical representation of the progress ( 37 ) of the ball along the screen to the hole ( 29 ). The microprocessor ( 2 ) stores the graphical representation of the reference fairway ( 30 ) with the positions ( 41 ) of the ball entered through the cursor in a RAM ( 5 ) and computes the number of shots to the hole ( 29 ). This is repeated for each hole played in a game of golf and a score card for each player is displayed on the VDU ( 3 ) at the end of the game. The device ( 1 ) may be used by a number of players playing a game of golf, and respective score cards are generated for each player and displayed on the VDU. Graphical representations of each player&#39;s performance on each fairway can be reviewed after the game.

The present invention relates to a device for recording parameters of agolf game.

In general, when one is playing a game of golf, it is normal to recordthe scores on a card. The recordal of the scores of the golf game, ingeneral, is carried out manually where one enters one's score on eachhole played by writing the score on the card. While this method is quiteadequate for the purpose of recording a player's score in a golf game,and for the purpose of determining the winner in a golf competition, itis not ideal for allowing a player to analyse a game subsequently. Aplayer can only compare his or her score as written on the score cardwith the scores of other games which he or she may have played on thesame course at earlier dates. Thus, in general, the only comparisonwhich can be made is a comparison between the number of shots taken oneach hole. This, while it does permit some degree of meaningfulcomparison, at the same time only provides a limited degree ofcomparison. It does not permit a player to analyse, for example,distances of drives, chips and putts which were played by the player onrespective different games, nor does it permit a player to analyse theaccuracy and the direction of his or her shots, for example, if theshots were on line with the hole or otherwise, if any of the shots endedup in the rough, in a sand bunker, a water hazard or the like.

There is therefore a need for a device for recording parameters of agolf game which overcomes at least some of these problems.

The present invention is directed towards providing such a device.

According to the invention there is provided a device for recordingparameters of a golf game, characterised in that the device comprises adisplay means for displaying graphically a representation of a referencefairway, a means for indicating on the reference fairway a positionindicative of a location taken up by a ball after a shot, a readingmeans for reading the indicated position, and a computing meansresponsive to the reading means reading an input which indicates that aball has been holed for summing the number of indicated positionsindicated on the reference fairway for determining the number of shotsfrom a tee to a hole, and a first storing means for storing thedetermined number of shots from the tee to the hole.

In one embodiment of the invention a second storing means is providedfor storing graphical representations of a plurality of referencefairways, the pars of the holes of which are different.

In another embodiment of the invention the graphical representations ofthe respective reference fairways differ depending on the par of thehole. Preferably, the means for displaying the graphical representationof one of the reference fairways is provided for selectively displayinga selected one of the reference fairways.

In one embodiment of the invention the display means displays agraphical representation of respective selected ones of the referencefairways for each of a number of holes to be played in the golf game.

In another embodiment of the invention the computing means computes thescore of a round of golf, and the first storing means stores the scoreof a round of golf. Preferably, the first storing means stores thegraphical representation of each reference fairway displayed for therespective holes with the indicated positions on the respectivegraphical representations of the reference fairways for each holeplayed.

In one embodiment of the invention the graphical representation of eachreference fairway comprises a representation of a rough location.Preferably, the graphical representation of each reference fairwaycomprises an out of bounds location. Advantageously, the graphicalrepresentation of each reference fairway comprises a sand bunkerlocation. Ideally, at least some of the reference fairways comprise awater hazard location.

In another embodiment of the invention the reading means reads the typeof location in which the location taken up by the ball after a shot isindicated on the selected reference fairway. Preferably, the readingmeans determines from the indicated position the type of location inwhich the ball is indicated as being located after a shot.Advantageously, the reading means determines from the indicated positionthe lie of the ball to the left or right of a line joining the tee tothe hole.

In one embodiment of the invention the graphical representation of eachreference fairway indicates an area between a green and the tee which iswithin a predetermined distance from the green, and the reading meansreads the indicated position for determining if the indicated locationof the ball is within the predetermined area.

In another embodiment of the invention the second storing means stores agraphical representation of at least one reference green independentlyof the reference fairways. Preferably, the second storing means stores aplurality of graphical representations of reference greens, and therespective reference greens are stored in the second storing meanscross-referenced with corresponding reference fairways.

In another embodiment of the invention the display means selectivelydisplays a graphical representation of a reference green correspondingto each reference fairway displayed. Alternatively, the display meansdisplays a reference green independently of each reference fairway.

In another embodiment of the invention the display means displays areference green corresponding to a reference fairway independently ofthe reference fairway.

Preferably, the graphical representation of each reference green isprovided with a plurality of bands of predetermined radial distance fromand extending around a hole on the reference green for definingpredetermined distances from the hole. Advantageously, the means forindicating the position indicative of a location taken up by a ball isprovided for indicating the position relative to the hole taken up bythe ball on the selected reference green.

In one embodiment of the invention the means for indicating the positionindicative of a location taken up by a ball after a shot on the selectedone of the selected reference fairway or the selected reference green isprovided by a cursor.

In another embodiment of the invention the visual display meanscomprises a touch sensitive screen.

In a further embodiment of the invention the means for indicating theposition indicative of a location taken up by a ball after a shot on theselected one of the selected reference fairway or the selected referencegreen is provided by a means for reading the position on the screen onwhich the screen is externally touched.

In one embodiment of the invention a first input means is provided forinputting a message indicating a lost ball. Preferably, a second inputmeans is provided for inputting a message indicating a penalty.Advantageously, a third input means is provided for indicating that theposition taken up by a ball after a shot is within a water hazard.Ideally, the computing means is responsive to the first, second andthird input means for computing the score of a round of golf.

In another embodiment of the invention a data input means is providedfor facilitating selective inputting of particulars of any one of thefollowing characteristics of a player about to play a golf game, and ofthe golf course on which the golf game is to be played, namely,

-   -   the handicap of the player,    -   parameters of the course,    -   particulars of the tees being played, course conditions on the        day the game is being played,    -   weather conditions on the day the game is being played, and    -   condition of the player on the day the game is being played.

Preferably the data input means permits inputting of the number of holesin the golf course, the yardage of each hole, the par of each hole andthe index of each hole. Preferably, the first storing means stores datainputted through the data input means.

In one embodiment of the invention the computing means computes thescore for each hole less the handicap of the player.

In another embodiment of the invention the computing means compares theplayer's score for each hole against the par and/or index of the hole.

In a further embodiment of the invention an output means is provided foroutputting the score for each hole played and the score for the roundplayed. Preferably, the output means facilitates outputting the score ofthe front nine holes and the back nine holes separately of each other.Advantageously, the output means interfaces with the display means fordisplaying the respective scores on the display means.

In one embodiment of the invention the scores are displayed on thedisplay means in tabular form.

In a further embodiment of the invention the computing means is adaptedfor selecting the holes of each of the holes played on a particular golfcourse over a number of games on which the player achieved the best holescores, and displaying the scores of the selected ones of the holes intabular form as a “dream game”.

In a still further embodiment of the invention the computing means isadapted for selecting the holes of each of the holes played on aparticular golf course over a number of games on which the playerachieved the worst hole scores, and displaying the scores of theselected ones of the holes in tabular form as a “nightmare game”.

Preferably, the device is a hand held device.

Advantageously, the device comprises an interface means for interfacingthe device with an external computer for downloading data in respect ofeach game to the external computer.

Additionally, the invention provides a method for recording parametersof a golf game, wherein the method comprises the steps of displaying agraphical representation of a reference fairway on a visual displaymeans, indicating on the reference fairway a position indicative of alocation taken up by a ball after a shot, reading the indicated positionby a reading means, summing the number of indicated positions indicatedon the reference fairway for determining the number of shots from a teeto a hole in a computing means, and storing the determined number ofshots from the tee to the hole in a first storing means.

In one embodiment of the invention the graphical representation of eachreference fairway displayed for the respective holes with the indicatedpositions on the respective graphical representations of the referencefairways for each hole played is stored in the first storing means.

The advantages of the invention are many. A particularly importantadvantage of the invention is that by virtue of the fact that the golfgames played by a player are recorded in graphical form, and inparticular, by virtue of the fact that the position taken up by the ballafter each shot is also recorded in graphical form, a player can analysethe graphical representation of his or her play for each hole subsequentto playing the game, and indeed, can compare graphical representationsof his or her play on the same hole or holes over a number of games.Accordingly, a player by analysing the graphical representations of hisor her game can identify weaknesses in his or her game, and by soidentifying the weaknesses can correct his or her game, and can alsoidentify weaknesses where further practice is required in order toimprove the player's game and his or her performance. Additionally, thedevice and the method according to the invention permits simple and easyentry of the position of a ball after each shot by a player. There is noneed for the player to measure the distance, all that is required is toindicate graphically on the graphical representation of the selectedreference fairway the position of the ball after each shot. Thus, aplayer need not physically measure the distance travelled by a ballafter each shot and record it manually. A further advantage of theinvention is that it permits ready graphical display of a player's playfor each hole of any particular game played by a player, andfurthermore, graphical representations of the play for each hole of manygames played by one or more players can be stored in the device forsubsequent recall. Additionally, the games can be stored under anysuitable classification system, for example, by name of person, course,the date played or by any other suitable means. A player may also usethe device to enter a game played by a professional on a particularcourse, and compare his or her game with that of the professional.

The device and method according to the invention also permits readycomputing of each player's score for a number of players playing in agame of golf, for example, the scores and graphical representations ofthe play for each hole of the players of a “two ball”, a “three ball”, a“four ball”, or the like can be readily computed and stored.Furthermore, the scores and indeed the graphical representation of theplay for each of the holes of each of the players can be stored forsubsequent downloading to a computer, such as a club computer or anational or international base server for determining the winner,runner-up, etc. of a golf competition.

The device and method according to the invention as well as permitting avisual analysis of a player's golf game, may also be used forentertainment purposes, whereby a player could enter a fictitious game,or could play and score an actual game against a professional's game ora reference game, the results of which would be graphically stored forsubsequent comparison with the player's game.

The invention will be more clearly understood from the followingdescription of a preferred embodiment thereof, which is given by way ofexample only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block representation of a device according to the inventionfor recording parameters of a golf game,

FIG. 2 is a representation of a screen displayed by a display means ofthe device of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a representation of a screen displayed by a display means ofthe device of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a representation of a screen displayed by a display means ofthe device of FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is a graphical representation of a screen displayed by a displaymeans of the device of FIG. 1,

FIG. 6 is a graphical representation of a screen displayed by a displaymeans of the device of FIG. 1,

FIG. 7 is a graphical representation of a screen displayed by a displaymeans of the device of FIG. 1,

FIG. 8 is a graphical representation of a screen displayed by a displaymeans of the device of FIG. 1,

FIG. 9 is a representation of a screen displayed by a display means ofthe device of FIG. 1,

FIG. 10 is a representation of another screen displayed by a displaymeans of the device of FIG. 1,

FIG. 11 is a representation of another screen displayed by a displaymeans of the device of FIG. 1,

FIGS. 12(a) to (c) are representations of a further screen displayed bya display means of the device of FIG. 1,

FIG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing the device of FIG. 1 in use,

FIG. 14 is a flow chart of a routine of a computer programme of thedevice of FIG. 1,

FIG. 15 is a flow chart of another routine of the computer programme ofthe device of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 16 is a flow chart of another routine of the computer programme ofthe device of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings and initially to FIG. 1 there is illustrated adevice according to the invention indicated generally by the referencenumeral 1 for recording parameters of a golf game played by one or moreplayers. The device 1 in this embodiment of the invention is a hand helddevice, and comprises a microprocessor 2 which controls the entireoperation of the device 1. A display means provided by a visual displayunit (VDU) 3 facilitates displaying graphical representations of one ormore reference fairways and reference greens, and also for facilitatinggraphically indicating on the reference fairway and/or reference greens,positions indicative of locations taken up by a ball after respectiveshots, as will be described below. The VDU 3 also facilitates displayingin tabular form as will be described below scores achieved in a golfgame. The VDU 3 may be a touch screen or otherwise, and if a touchscreen the positions taken up by the ball after each shot may be enteredby appropriately touching the screen at a location on a referencefairway or green displayed on the VDU 3 corresponding to the position ofthe ball after a shot on the fairway or green. Otherwise the positionstaken up by the ball after each shot may be similarly indicated by acursor on the screen, this is described in detail below. Themicroprocessor 2 reads the screen and computes the number of shots foreach hole and the score for a game of golf.

A first storing means provided by a random access memory (RAM) 5 storesthe number of shots taken for each hole played and the score of the gameof golf played by the player for subsequent display on the VDU 3, or forsubsequent downloading to an external computer, such as a club computer,for facilitating computing the results of a golf competition. The RAM 5also stores the graphical representation of the reference fairway andgreen displayed for each hole together with the indicated positionswhich are indicative of the locations taken up by a ball after each shotbetween the tee and the hole of the respective fairways for subsequentdisplay or for downloading.

A second storing means, namely, a read-only memory (ROM) 6 stores acomputer programme under which the microprocessor 2 operates and alsostores the graphical representations of the reference fairways and thereference greens, which may be selectively called up by themicroprocessor 2 for display on the VDU 3. The microprocessor 2 operatesunder the control of a computer programme, routines of which aredescribed below with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 to 4 a first screen 10 which is presented to aplayer on the VDU 3 prior to commencing a game of golf is illustratedwhich facilitates entry of data regarding the player and the course. Alocation 11 is provided on the screen 10 for facilitating inputting ofparticulars of the player or players who are to play a game of golf. Alocation 12 is provided on the screen 10 for facilitating entry ofparticulars of the golf course. A location 13 is provided on the screen10 for permitting selection of the colour of tee to be used by eachplayer. A location 14 is provided on the screen 10 for facilitatinginputting of the type of game to be played, competitive or otherwise. Anadditional location 15 is provided which permits the selection of foursubsidiary locations, namely, locations 16, 17, 18 and 19 from thescreen 10, see FIG. 4. In location 16 each player may enter his or hercondition prior to commencing the game of golf as one of threeconditions, namely, excellent, good or poor. Location 17 permits entryof the weather conditions prevailing as the game is about to be played,and one of five conditions as follows may be selected:

-   -   excellent,    -   good,    -   average,    -   bad, and    -   terrible.

Locations 18 and 19 permit entry of the conditions of the greens and thecourse, and one of five conditions may be selected which are similar tothose conditions which may be selected for the weather conditions. Thedata entered through the locations 11 to 19 on the screen 10 are storedin the RAM 5 and collated with the scores of the players of the game andrecorded for subsequent reproduction on the VDU when reproducing thescores of the game, or for subsequent downloading along with the scoresof the game.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 to 7, there is illustrated three screens, whichare selectively presented to each player as the game progresses, thescreens are selected as will be described below by the par of the holebeing played. Each screen comprises a reference fairway 30. Thereference fairway 30 illustrated in FIG. 5 represents a par 3 hole, thereference fairway illustrated in FIG. 6 represents a par 4 hole, whilethe reference fairway illustrated in FIG. 7 represents a par 5 hole.Each reference fairway 30 also comprises a green 31 associates with thefairway 30, as well as a hole 29. A predetermined area 32 which iswithin fifty yards of the green 31 is also illustrated. By indicating onthe screen that a player's ball landed in the area 32 a record of thisis stored in the RAM 5. The tee off position 33 is graphicallyrepresented on the fairway 30. Areas of rough 34 in the referencefairways 30 both in a line between the tee 33 and the hole 29, and tothe left and right thereof are graphically displayed on the referencefairways 30 for facilitating indicating if the ball after a shot landedin the rough in the centre, or to the left or right of the centre linebetween the tee 33 and the hole 29. Out of bound areas 35 are alsographically represented relative to the fairway 30 both to the left andright and to the end of the green 31, for similarly permittingindicating by touch or by the cursor on the screen if a ball landed outof bounds, and its general direction relative to a centre line betweenthe tee 33 and the hole 29 after a shot. Sand bunkers 36 are alsographically represented for the same purpose. FIG. 13 illustrates howthe path of the ball after each stroke is illustrated on the screen by aline 37 as the position 41 of the ball after each shot has been enteredby touch or by the cursor on the screen.

A first input means comprising a first soft key 38 on the respectivescreens of FIGS. 5 to 7 facilitates inputting a message to indicate thata ball has been lost after a shot. A second input means comprising asecond soft key 39 is provided on the screens for inputting a messageindicating that a penalty has been incurred after a shot, and a thirdinput means provided by a third soft key 40 is provided on the screenfor facilitating inputting a message indicating that the ball landed ina water hazard after a shot.

Referring now to FIG. 8 an enlarged graphical representation of thegreen is illustrated for facilitating graphically indicating on thescreen a position indicative of the location of a ball on the greenafter a shot. In this embodiment of the invention five bands 45 ofpredetermined radial width extend around the hole 29 at pitch circlediameters of predetermined radii. The band width of the first band 45 a,namely, the band closest to the hole is at a radius of three yards fromthe hole 29. The next band 45 b is at a radius of five yards from thehole 29, while the next band 45 c is at a radius of seven yards from thehole 29, while the next band 45 d is at a radius of ten yards from thehole 29, and the outermost band, namely, the band 45 e is at a radius offifteen yards from the hole 29. Accordingly, a player can indicate withthe cursor on the screen a position within the respective bandsindicative of the location within which the ball has landed or is playedon the green.

First, second and third soft keys 48, 49 and 50 are also provided on thescreen of FIG. 8 which are similar to the first, second and third softkeys 38, 39 and 40, respectively, of the screens of FIGS. 5 to 7. Inaddition, each of the screens of FIGS. 5 to 8 includes the followingadditional soft keys, namely, an undo shot key 51, which facilitatesediting of the last shot, in other words repositioning the indicatedposition on the screen. A soft key 52 for facilitating indicating if theball landed out of bounds, although, as discussed above this can beentered directly by touching the screen or by locating the cursor on thescreen in an appropriate out of bound area 35. A soft key 53 forfacilitating exiting from the screen is also provided. Soft keys 60 and61 are provided on the respective screens of FIGS. 5 to 8 for calling upthe title of the course being played and the name of the player.Locations 63 to 66 are provided on the respective screens of FIGS. 5 to8 for indicating the hole being played, the par and the yardage of thehole. The microprocessor 2 under the control of the computer programmeautomatically increments the number of the hole as each hole has beenplayed, however, an overwriting provision is made for overwriting thehole number.

As each hole is played the microprocessor 2 under the control of thecomputer programme computes the number of shots taken by the player fromthe tee 33 to the hole 29, and the number of shots is stored in the RAM5. The microprocessor 2 also computes the number of shots to the green,and the number of shots on the green which are stored in the RAM 5 foreach hole. The microprocessor 2 deducts the player's handicap from thescore for each hole and stores the score for each hole and for the roundin the RAM 5. The microprocessor 2 also compares the score for each holeagainst the par and index of the hole and also stores this informationin the RAM 5. The scores for the front nine holes and the back nineholes are stored separately in the RAM 5. When a game has been completedthe microprocessor 2 outputs the scores of each player for the round intabular form which is displayed on the VDU 3.

Referring in particular to FIG. 9 the format of a table in which thescore is displayed on the VDU 3 is illustrated. As can be seen the scorefor each hole less the player's handicap is displayed, as well as thepar and index for the hole. The total score for the front nine and theback nine holes are separately displayed. Needless to say, it will beappreciated that the scores using other golf conventions may also bedisplayed in appropriate tabular form. The microprocessor 2 under thecontrol of the computer programme also stores the scores of a number ofgames played on the same course by the same player in the RAM 5, andunder the control of the computer programme the microprocessor 2 selectsthe best score of the player on each hole, and displays in tabular formthe results of a game using the best score on each hole achieved by theplayer. This score sheet is referred to as the score sheet of a “dreamgame”. Similarly, the microprocessor 2 under the control of the computerprogramme selects the worst scores achieved by the same player on thesame course on each of the holes over a predetermined number of gamesand displays the score sheet of a game using the worst score for eachhole, and the score displayed on such a score sheet is referred to as a“nightmare game”.

FIG. 10 illustrates a typical score sheet which is displayed on the VDU3 if one wishes to display a number of games for comparison purposes.FIG. 11 shows another score sheet whereby scores from different courses,for example, in this case Tralee and Cyprus golf courses, are displayedon the VDU 3 and compared. FIGS. 12(a) to 12(c) illustrate a typicalanalysis which can be displayed on the screen.

The device can be used by a number of players playing in a competition,for example, by two players in a “two ball”, three in a “three ball”,four in a “four ball” and up to five players in a “five ball”. Each ofthe players can input their scores on each hole and the position of theball after each shot can be entered through the screen for each playerby graphically indicating the position on the respective graphicalrepresentations of the reference fairways and greens indicative of thelocation of the ball after each shot.

Referring now to FIG. 14, there is illustrated a routine of the computerprogramme for facilitating recording of the score and the positions ofthe ball on the fairways and greens in a game of golf played by a numberof players. Block 70 of the routine commences the routine and loadsdefaults and displays the last played course and player. The routinepermits the player to select the screen 10 illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 4,and if selected the routine moves to block 71 and/or 72. Block 71permits a new course title and the names of the players to be entered.Block 72 permits the title of the course and the names of the players tobe edited. The routine then moves to block 73 which saves theparticulars entered of the course and the players in the RAM 5. Theroutine then moves to block 74 which again displays the screen 10 ofFIGS. 2 to 4 and permits the particulars of the round of golf to beplayed, and the condition of the players, course, the tee colours andthe date to be entered. Alternatively, block 74 could have been selectedby the player directly from block 70. The routine then moves to block 75which is a save default condition which saves particulars enteredthrough the screen 10 while displayed under the control of block 74.

The routine then moves to block 75 which initiates the new game. Theroutine in initiating the new game under block 75 selects theappropriate reference fairway for the first tee or permits the player toselect an appropriate reference fairway from the stored referencefairway. The routine also selects the skins, defines the course and theplayers of the game. The routine then moves to block 80 which is a loopsubroutine and is described in detail with reference to the subroutine80 also illustrated in FIG. 14.

The subroutine commences with block 81 which requests particulars of thepar of the hole to be played, and moves to block 82, which selects anddisplays the reference fairways 30 of the appropriate par graphically onthe VDU, which is loaded from the ROM by block 82. The subroutine thenmoves to block 83 which permits the player to enter his shots andpenalties on the hole and moves to block 84 which permits the player toenter the position of the ball after each shot by touching the screen orpositioning the cursor at a location on the fairway 30 or the green 31corresponding to the position of the ball after each shot. Block 84 alsodisplays the entered position of the ball and the path of the ball tothe entered position. The path of the ball is illustrated by the line37, see FIG. 13. Block 85 permits editing of the position of the lastshot entered graphically on the fairway or green as the case may be. Thesubroutine then moves to block 86 which queries the player as to whetherthe last shot has landed on the green, and if so, the subroutine movesto block 87, otherwise the subroutine returns to block 83. Block 87graphically displays an appropriate green such as the green 31illustrated in FIG. 8. The subroutine moves to block 88 which permitsthe player to enter the location of the ball graphically on the green asalready described with reference to block 84, and displays the enteredposition of the ball under block 89 on the screen. The subroutinereturns to block 88 until the ball has been holed. Block 90 questionsthe player as to whether the ball has been holed, and if so, moves thesubroutine to block 91 which queries if all eighteen holes of the gamehave been played. If not, the subroutine moves to block 92 which permitsthe next hole to be selected by returning the subroutine to block 81. Onthe other hand, if all eighteen holes have been played, the subroutinemoves from block 91 to block 93 which confirms that the game is over andinstructs the microprocessor 2 to compute the scores for the players ofthe game.

The subroutine then returns control of the microprocessor 2 to theroutine under which the microprocessor was operating prior to enteringthe subroutine loop 80, and moves to block 94 which queries the playeras to whether the game is to be saved or otherwise. Under block 95 ifthe player confirms that the game is to be discarded, the routine movesto block 96, which discards the game. If the game is to be saved, theroutine moves to block 97 and saves the game in the RAM 5. After block96 and 97 the routine moves to block 98 which displays a statisticalsummary of the game and returns control of the microprocessor 2 to themain computer.

Referring now to FIG. 15, a flow chart of a routine of the computerprogramme which permits review of games already played and stored in thedevice 1 to be reviewed is illustrated. The routine commences with block100 which displays a list of the games stored in the RAM 15. The routinemay be directed by the player to move to block 101 which filters thegames by date, course, user and score and moves through a filter block102 to block 103 which permits the game to be selected. Alternatively,the routine may be moved to block 104 which permits all games to beselected and then moves to block 105 which provides for an automaticgame selection. The routine then moves to block 106 which permitsdeleting, editing or displaying of a selected game. If delete isselected under block 106 the routine moves to block 107 which deletesthe game, and then moves to block 108, which updates the file to removeparticulars of the deleted game from the RAM 5. After block 108 theroutine returns control of the microprocessor to the main computerprogramme. Should it be desired to edit the selected game, an editrequest is entered under block 106 and the routine moves to block 109which permits editing of the game. The routine then moves to block 110which checks that only one game has been selected. If more than one gamehas been selected, the routine is returned from block 110 to block 103or block 104, both of which have already been described. On the otherhand, if only one game has been selected, the routine moves to block 111which selects the game from the RAM 5 and moves to block 112 whichdisplays the game in input mode and recommences with block 70 of theroutine of FIG. 14. After editing has been completed the routine movesto block 114 which confirms that editing has been completed, and thenmoves to block 115, which requests the user to indicate if the editedgame is to be saved or otherwise. Under block 116 the user indicateswhether the game is to be saved or discarded and the routine movesappropriately to block 117 which discards the game or to block 118 whichsaves the game in the RAM 5. The routine moves from block 117 and 118and returns control of the microprocessor to the main computerprogramme.

Returning now to block 106, if the player selects that the selected gameis to be displayed under block 106, the routine moves to block 120 whichprovides for viewing of the game. The routine then moves to block 121which queries as to whether one or two games are to be played. If onegame is to be played, the routine moves to block 122 which displays theselected game. On the other hand, if two games are selected under block121 the routine moves to block 123 which facilitates comparisons to bemade between the two games. The routine then moves to block 124 andmoves backwards and forwards between block 123 and block 124 to permitbrowsing and comparison of various aspects of the game. On the browsingand comparison being completed, the routine then moves to block 125which returns control of the microprocessor to the main programme. Onthe other hand, if block 121 had selected just one game to be displayed,the game, as already discussed, is displayed under block 122 and theroutine moves to block 126 which facilitates browsing through the game.On completion of browsing the routine moves to block 25, which hasalready been described.

Referring now to FIG. 16, a routine which permits a player to analysehis or her performance in a game is illustrated. Block 130 commences theroutine which lists the games which can be selected. This is similar toblock 100 of the routine of FIG. 15. The routine of FIG. 16, as with theroutine of FIG. 15, permits filtering of the games through block 131,132 and then moves to block 133 which permits a game to be selected.Alternatively, the routine permits all games to be selected under block134, and moves to block 135 which selects all games. The routine thenmoves from block 133 or block 135 to block 136 which queries a player asto whether the score card details are to be displayed and also if theyare to be saved out on disk. If they are to be detailed, the routinemoves to block 137 which details the score cards and moves to block 138which checks if only one game has been selected. If more than one gamehas been selected, block 138 returns the routine to block 133 or 134.

If only one game has been selected, the routine moves from block 138 toblock 139 which loads the selected game from the RAM 15, and moves toblock 140 which displays various aspects of the game on the VDU 3. Theinformation which is displayed is a general executive summary, a generaldetailed analysis, analysis of games split in subsections, a link to allfiles is also provided, and statistics of the game may also bedisplayed. After block 140 the routine returns control of themicroprocessor 2 to the main computer. On the other hand, if block 136requested a score card to be displayed, the routine moves to block 141,which moves the routine to block 142, which generates the score card andloads it in an internet explorer format for ease of display andsubsequent printing out, if so required. After block 142 the routinereturns control of the microprocessor 2 to the main computer programme.If under block 136 it was requested that the selected game be saved ondisk, the routine moves to block 145 which permits a file name to bechosen for the game and then saves the programme on disk and returns toblock 136.

The main computer programme under which the microprocessor 2 iscontrolled controls the transfer of control of the microprocessorbetween the routines which have already been described. The maincomputer programme also carries out general housekeeping of themicroprocessor which will be well known to those skilled in the art, andalso includes a large number of subroutines for controlling thegraphical representations of the fairways 30, and the greens 31, as wellas the presentation of the scores in the various formats. Suchsubroutines will be well known to those skilled in the art.Additionally, the main computer programme also includes appropriatesubroutines for reading data from the ROM 6 and the RAM 5 and forstoring data and the graphical representations of the fairways and greenfor each hole played by each player in the ROM 5. Further, the maincomputer programme comprises appropriate subroutines for facilitatingreading the location of the cursor or of a touch on the screen if thescreen is provided by a touch screen for determining the indicatedposition of the ball on the screen. All such subroutines will be wellknown to those skilled in the art and further description should not berequired.

The device according to the invention has the additional advantages thatit permits ready display of any particular game played by one or moreplayers. Many games by one or a number of players can be stored andrecalled instantly. The games can be stored under any suitableclassification system, for example, by name of person, course and dateplayed, or by any other suitable means. A player may also use the deviceto enter a game played by a professional on a particular course, andcompare his or her game with that of the professional.

While the device according to the invention has been described as beinga hand held device, the device may be any other suitable device, andindeed, may be provided in the form of a computer, such as, for example,a personal computer. In which case, the computer would operate under thecomputer programme already described in similar fashion as the hand helddevice. Furthermore, it is envisaged that any or all the graphicalrepresentations of golf games stored in the hand held device may bedownloaded onto any suitable type of computer, for example, a personalcomputer for comparison with other games downloaded, or other gamesstored in the personal computer, for editing and/or for any otherpurpose.

It is also envisaged that the device according to the invention mayinclude a means for reading the wind speed and direction on the day agame of golf is being played, and may also include a means for readingthe humidity and temperature on the day the golf game is being played.The computer programme would be adapted for reading and storing the windspeed and direction, the humidity and the temperature, and all suchparameters would be stored in the first storing means, namely, the RAM5.

1-82. (Canceled) without prejudice or disclaimer
 83. A device forrecording parameters of a golf game, characterised in that the devicecomprises a display means (3) for displaying graphically arepresentation of a reference fairway (30), a means for indicating onthe reference fairway (30) a position (41) indicative of a locationtaken up by a ball after a shot, a reading means (2) for reading theindicated position (41), and a computing means (2) responsive to thereading means reading an input which indicates that a ball has beenholed for summing the number of indicated positions (41) indicated onthe reference fairway (30) for determining the number of shots from atee to a hole, and a first storing means (5) for storing the determinednumber of shots from the tee to the hole.
 84. A device as claimed inclaim 83 characterised in that a second storing means (6) is providedfor storing graphical representations of a plurality of referencefairways (30), the pars of the holes of which are different, andpreferably, the graphical representations of the respective referencefairways (30) differ depending on the par of the hole, andadvantageously, the means (3) for displaying the graphicalrepresentation of one of the reference fairways (30) is provided forselectively displaying a selected one of the reference fairways (30),and preferably, the display means (3) displays a graphicalrepresentation of respective selected ones of the reference fairways(30) for each of a number of holes to be played in the golf game.
 85. Adevice as claimed in claim 83 characterised in that the computing means(2) computes the score of a round of golf, and the first storing means(5) stores the score of a round of golf, and preferably, the firststoring means (5) stores the graphical representation of each referencefairway (30) displayed for the respective holes with the indicatedpositions (41) on the respective graphical representations of thereference fairways for each hole played, and preferably, the graphicalrepresentation of each reference fairway (30) comprises a representationof a rough location, and advantageously, the graphical representation ofeach reference fairway (30) comprises an out of bounds location, andpreferably, the graphical representation of each reference fairway (30)comprises a sand bunker location, and preferably, at least some of thereference fairways (30) comprise a water hazard location.
 86. A deviceas claimed in claim 83 characterised in that the reading means (2) readsthe type of location in which the location taken up by the ball after ashot is indicated on the selected reference fairway (30), andpreferably, the reading means (2) determines from the indicated position(41) the type of location in which the ball is indicated as beinglocated after a shot, and advantageously, the reading means (2)determines from the indicated position (41) the lie of the ball to theleft or right of a line joining the tee to the hole, and preferably, thegraphical representation of each reference fairway (30) indicates anarea between a green and the tee which is within a predetermineddistance from the green, and the reading means (2) reads the indicatedposition (41) for determining if the indicated location of the ball iswithin the predetermined area.
 87. A device as claimed in claim 84characterised in that the second storing means (6) stores a graphicalrepresentation of at least one reference green (31) independently of thereference fairways, and preferably, the second storing means (6) storesa plurality of graphical representations of reference greens (31), andthe respective reference greens (31) are stored in the second storingmeans (6) cross-referenced with corresponding reference fairways (30),and advantageously, the display means (3) selectively displays agraphical representation of a reference green (31) corresponding to eachreference fairway (30) displayed, and preferably, the display means (3)displays a reference green (31) independently of each reference fairway(30), and advantageously, the display means (3) displays a referencegreen (31) corresponding to a reference fairway (30) independently ofthe reference fairway (30), and preferably, the graphical representationof each reference green (31) is provided with a plurality of bands (45)of predetermined radial distance from and extending around a hole on thereference green (31) for defining predetermined distances from the hole,and advantageously, the means for indicating the position indicative ofa location taken up by a ball is provided for indicating the positionrelative to the hole taken up by the ball on the selected referencegreen (31), and preferably, the means for indicating the positionindicative of a location taken up by a ball after a shot on the selectedone of the selected reference fairway (30) or the selected referencegreen (31) is provided by a cursor, and preferably, the visual displaymeans comprises a touch sensitive screen, and advantageously, the meansfor indicating the position indicative of a location taken up by a ballafter a shot on the selected one of the selected reference fairway (30)or the selected reference green (31) is provided by a means for readingthe position on the screen on which the screen is externally touched.88. A device as claimed in claim 83 characterised in that a first inputmeans is provided for inputting a message indicating a lost ball, andpreferably, a second input means is provided for inputting a messageindicating a penalty, and advantageously, a third input means isprovided for indicating that the position taken up by a ball after ashot is within a water hazard, and preferably, the computing means isresponsive to the first, second and third input means for computing thescore of a round of golf.
 89. A device as claimed in claim 83characterised in that a data input means is provided for facilitatingselective inputting of particulars of any one of the followingcharacteristics of a player about to play a golf game, and of the golfcourse on which the golf game is to be played, namely, the handicap ofthe player, parameters of the course, particulars of the tees beingplayed, course conditions on the day the game is being played, weatherconditions on the day the game is being played, and condition of theplayer on the day the game is being played.
 90. A device as claimed inclaim 89 characterised in that the data input means permits inputting ofthe number of holes in the golf course, the yardage of each hole, thepar of each hole and the index of each hole, and preferably, the firststoring means (5) stores data inputted through the data input means, andadvantageously, the computing means (2) computes the score for each holeless the handicap of the player.
 91. A device as claimed in claim 83characterised in that the computing means (2) compares the player'sscore for each hole against the par and/or index of the hole, andpreferably, an output means is provided for outputting the score foreach hole played and the score for the round played, and preferably, theoutput means facilitates outputting the score of the front nine holesand the back nine holes separately of each other, and advantageously,the output means interfaces with the display means for displaying therespective scores on the display means, and preferably, the scores aredisplayed on the display means in tabular form.
 92. A device as claimedin claim 83 characterised in that the computing means (2) is adapted forselecting the holes of each of the holes played on a particular golfcourse over a number of games on which the player achieved the best holescores, and displaying the scores of the selected ones of the holes intabular form as a “dream game”, and preferably, the computing means (2)is adapted for selecting the holes of each of the holes played on aparticular golf course over a number of games on which the playerachieved the worst hole scores, and displaying the scores of theselected ones of the holes in tabular form as a “nightmare game”.
 93. Adevice as claimed in claim 83 characterised in that the device is a handheld device, and preferably, the device comprises an interface means forinterfacing the device with an external computer for downloading data inrespect of each game to the external computer.
 94. A method forrecording parameters of a golf game, characterised in that the methodcomprises the steps of displaying a graphical representation of areference fairway (30) on a visual display means (3), indicating on thereference fairway (30) a position (41) indicative of a location taken upby a ball after a shot, reading the indicated position (41) by a readingmeans (2), summing the number of indicated positions (41) indicated onthe reference fairway (30) for determining the number of shots from atee to a hole in a computing means (2), and storing the determinednumber of shots from the tee to the hole in a first storing means (5).95. A method as claimed in claim 94 characterised in that the graphicalrepresentation of each reference fairway (30) displayed for therespective holes with the indicated positions (41) on the respectivegraphical representations of the reference fairways for each hole playedis stored in the first storing means (5), and preferably, a secondstoring means (6) is provided for storing graphical representations of aplurality of reference fairways (30), the pars of the holes of which aredifferent, and preferably, the graphical representations of therespective reference fairways (30) differ depending on the par of thehole, and advantageously, the means (3) for displaying the graphicalrepresentation of one of the reference fairways (30) is provided forselectively displaying a selected one of the reference fairways (30),and preferably, the display means (3) displays a graphicalrepresentation of respective selected ones of the reference fairways(30) for each of a number of holes to be played in the golf game.
 96. Amethod as claimed in claim 94 characterised in that the score of a roundof golf is computed in the computing means (2), and the first storingmeans (5) stores the score of a round of golf, and preferably, thegraphical representation of each reference fairway (30) comprises arepresentation of a rough location, and preferably, the graphicalrepresentation of each reference fairway (30) comprises an out of boundslocation, and advantageously, the graphical representation of eachreference fairway (30) comprises a sand bunker location, and preferably,at least some of the reference fairways (30) comprise a water hazardlocation.
 97. A method as claimed in claim 94 characterised in that thereading means (2) reads the type of location in which the location takenup by the ball after a shot is indicated on the selected referencefairway (30), and preferably, the reading means (2) determines from theindicated position (41) the type of location in which the ball isindicated as being located after a shot, and advantageously, the readingmeans (2) determines from the indicated position (41) the lie of theball to the left or right of a line joining the tee to the hole, andpreferably, the graphical representation of each reference fairway (30)indicates an area between a green and the tee which is within apredetermined distance from the green, and the reading means (2) readsthe indicated position (41) for determining if the indicated location ofthe ball is within the predetermined area.
 98. A method as claimed inclaim 95 characterised in that the second storing means (6) stores agraphical representation of at least one reference green (31)independently of the reference fairways, and preferably, the secondstoring means (6) stores a plurality of graphical representations ofreference greens (31), and the respective reference greens (31) arestored in the second storing means (6) cross-referenced withcorresponding reference fairways (30), and advantageously, the displaymeans (3) selectively displays a graphical representation of a referencegreen (31) corresponding to each reference fairway (30) displayed, andpreferably, the display means (3) displays a reference green (31)independently of each reference fairway (30), and advantageously, thedisplay means (3) displays a reference green (31) corresponding to areference fairway (30) independently of the reference fairway (30), andpreferably, the graphical representation of each reference green (31) isprovided with a plurality of bands (45) of predetermined radial distancefrom and extending around a hole on the reference green (31) fordefining predetermined distances from the hole.
 99. A method as claimedin claim 98 characterised in that the means for indicating the positionindicative of a location taken up by a ball is provided for indicatingthe position relative to the hole taken up by the ball on the selectedreference green (31), and preferably, the means for indicating theposition indicative of a location taken up by a ball after a shot on theselected one of the selected reference fairway (30) or the selectedreference green (31) is provided by a cursor.
 100. A method as claimedin claim 98 characterised in that the visual display means comprises atouch sensitive screen, and preferably, the means for indicating theposition indicative of a location taken up by a ball after a shot on theselected one of the selected reference fairway (30) or the selectedreference green (31) is provided by a means for reading the position onthe screen on which the screen is externally touched, andadvantageously, a first input means is provided for inputting a messageindicating a lost ball, and preferably, a second input means is providedfor inputting a message indicating a penalty, and advantageously, athird input means is provided for indicating that the position taken upby a ball after a shot is within a water hazard, and preferably, thecomputing means is responsive to the first, second and third input meansfor computing the score of a round of golf.
 101. A method as claimed inclaim 94 characterised in that a data input means is provided forfacilitating selective inputting of particulars of any one of thefollowing characteristics of a player about to play a golf game, and ofthe golf course on which the golf game is to be played, namely, thehandicap of the player, parameters of the course, particulars of thetees being played, course conditions on the day the game is beingplayed, weather conditions on the day the game is being played, andcondition of the player on the day the game is being played.
 102. Amethod as claimed in claim 101 characterised in that the data inputmeans permits inputting of the number of holes in the golf course, theyardage of each hole, the par of each hole and the index of each hole,and preferably, the first storing means (5) stores data inputted throughthe data input means.
 103. A method as claimed in claim 101characterised in that the computing means (2) computes the score foreach hole less the handicap of the player, and preferably, the computingmeans (2) compares the player's score for each hole against the parand/or index of the hole, and advantageously, an output means isprovided for outputting the score for each hole played and the score forthe round played, and preferably, the output means facilitatesoutputting the score of the front nine holes and the back nine holesseparately of each other, and advantageously, the output meansinterfaces with the display means for displaying the respective scoreson the display means, and preferably, the scores are displayed on thedisplay means in tabular form.
 104. A method as claimed in claim 94characterised in that the computing means (2) is adapted for selectingthe holes of each of the holes played on a particular golf course over anumber of games on which the player achieved the best hole scores, anddisplaying the scores of the selected ones of the holes in tabular formas a “dream game”, and preferably, the computing means (2) is adaptedfor selecting the holes of each of the holes played on a particular golfcourse over a number of games on which the player achieved the worsthole scores, and displaying the scores of the selected ones of the holesin tabular form as a “nightmare game”.